That Natalie Merchant. Songstress of my youth (along with Sinead, Siouzsie, and Maria), she encouraged me to activism, musical discovery, and a fierce imitation of her that was often featured on WPLS station identification spots.

Now she's floating without a label, and no contract. No wonder, right? Her music is folksy and political, and her voice is a mere whisper compared to others like her, and she can't dance. (Actually, I lurve her dancing style...it's just not very...current.)

So I find an article discussing her six sold-out shows in NYC and I think - wow, good for her, trying out new material, going it alone, and playing live! Amazing. But read the whole article and see that she actually BURST INTO TEARS during a song about New Orleans, and know that the more things change, the more they stay the same. God love her.